Adam Yates will return to the Tour de France after the “mistakes and big disappointment” at the 2018 edition.
The Mitchelton-Scott pro, crowned best young rider at the 2016 Tour, was holding his own in last year’s race but was hit by setbacks over the three weeks.
After suffering in the heat, and crashing out of his chance at a stage win, the 26-year-old will return to the French Grand Tour for a fresh tilt at glory.
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He said: “Last year we made some mistakes that cost us and it was a big disappointment, so it’ll be good to go back and rectify that.
“Even though I’ve got earlier races and targets coming up, in the back of my mind everything I’m doing is build up for the Tour.”
Yates looked set to improve on his fourth place on general classification in 2016 last season, finishing second in the Critérium du Dauphiné weeks before the Tour.
After moving his way into the top-10 by stage 11, Yates began to ship time on the second and third mountain stages due to dehydration and overheating.
He then vowed to chase stage wins over the remaining days, but crashed while descending the Col du Portilon on stage 16, handing the victory to Julian Alaphilippe.
Yates finished 29th overall in Paris.
He said: “Obviously, 2016 was a highlight for me personally, riding almost two weeks in the white jersey and eventually finishing fourth on general classification was an amazing experience and confirmed to myself that I can ride at the highest level for three weeks.”
Adam’s twin brother and team-mate Simon had a turbulent season in the Grand Tours.
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He led the Giro d’Italia for two weeks before dramatically falling out of contention on the penultimate mountain stage.
But Simon returned to form in the later season and took his first Grand Tour victory at the Vuelta a España.
Simon recently said he was not interested in the Tour de France, as he plans to ride to the Giro again this year.
On Adam’s chances this year, Mitchelton-Scott sports director Matt White said: “The challenge for any athlete is repeating a breakthrough performance.
“Adam showed in 2016 that he can mix it with the big boys at the Tour de France, he had a very solid Giro in 2017 and even though last year didn’t go as we had planned, we are heading back this year with ambitions of Adam challenging for a spot on the podium come July.”
Alex is the digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter and now as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output.
Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) and joining CW in 2018, Alex has covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.
Away from journalism, Alex is a national level time triallist, avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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